ExclusiveCar Crashes Into Crowd Outside School in China; Biden Pledges Record $4 Billion to World Bank | China in Focus

Welcome to China In Focus. I'm Don Ma. In for Tiffany Meyer, our top story. Three tragedies in one week. A car scene ramming into crowds outside a Chinese school, injuring multiple students. This on the heels of two other deadly attacks. A tech senate committee is holding testimony on Chinese hacking a possible foreign threat to democracy and security. President Biden pledged $4 billion to the World Bank at the G20 summit. That's with China standing among key countries that could benefit. And the European Union is warning China of serious consequences, using sanctions on Iran as an example. The message follows reports and evidence suggesting Beijing is making long-range attack drones with Moscow. A car crashed into a crowd outside a school in southern China Tuesday. Multiple students were injured, though authorities didn't specify how many. Police reports say none of them are in life-threatening condition. NTD can't independently verify if anyone was killed in the crash. The Chinese regime has a long history of covering up or concealing death counts to preserve its reputation. Chinese censors have scrubbed related news reports from the internet. Footage from the scene shows several people charging toward a man, one of them shouting this. A separate clip shows police apprehending a suspect. It's unclear what caused the crash. It comes just a week after the deadliest attack in China in a decade. Last Monday, a driver rammed his car into a crowd at a sports center in southern China. At least 35 people were killed. Days later, a stabbing spree on a college campus killed eight people. David Zhang is the host of China Insider. He said brewing social discontent inside China, plus a weak economy, has sparked the violence. He pointed out that Beijing has been suppressing the pressure simmering in Chinese society, and that buildup may have reached the boiling point. Chinese internet users are now warning each other to be cautious, as people are becoming more desperate and taking revenge against society. Congress is looking into spying operations linked to the Chinese Communist Party, specifically those targeting the text messages and phone calls of U.S. government officials. And today's Washington correspondent, Jack Bradley, has more from Capitol Hill. The Senate Judiciary's Privacy Subcommittee looked into recent hackings linked to the Chinese Communist Party targeting U.S. officials. They also probed the dangers of the U.S. doing business in China during a heightened conflict. We need to radically rethink how we are protecting against Beijing's spying and influence. They try to find any little entry point in the technologies that we use on a daily basis. And frankly, for companies in a wide range of sensitive industries, they need to understand that if any part of their supply chain touches China, there are very concrete risks. Without knowing what's in the products, whether they be products that have an American name on or a trusted country's name on them or a Chinese company's name on them, we don't really know what's in there. I think with a lot of that foreign technology, there's really no way to assess what's in there. In other words, there is a hardware supply chain concern there. They could have other microchips or other software running inside those devices. So this should be a huge concern. There have been recent attacks on U.S. telecommunications providers by the Salt Typhoon campaign, which is linked to the Chinese Communist Party. And T-Mobile is one example who have been attacked. This operation is believed to have also targeted President-elect Trump, VP-elect J.D. Vance and other U.S. government officials. The panel emphasized that the Chinese regime is doing this mainly for espionage and pre-positioning, which means the Chinese regime is putting itself in an advantageous position during a potential heightened conflict like an invasion of Taiwan. So if there was to be, for example, an escalation around Taiwan, could they use that access to disrupt logistics or disrupt military operations or critical infrastructure in the region that would potentially slow or disrupt the U.S. response? Now, in light of all of this, it remains to be seen how Congress will act with a new Congress coming in and presidential administration in about two months. Reporting from Washington, D.C., Jack Bradley, NTD News. Next, a discovery by the Library of Congress. According to Director of Communications Bill Ryan, emails between library staff and congressional offices were hacked by an adversary. Staffers on Capitol Hill were informed Friday that their emails with some library staff from January through September may have been targeted in the breaches. An email about the cyber breach says that the rest of the House and Senate networks were free of the breach. As the investigation carries on, it remains unclear who the adversarial state is or what information may have been exposed. Recently, the U.S. government and several key pieces of infrastructure have been hacked. Those operations have been linked to adversarial states like China and Iran. NTD has reached out to the FBI, but the agency said it has no comment. At the G20, President Biden pledged the largest-ever U.S. contribution to the World Bank to fight global poverty. Yet China may be one of the main beneficiaries. Despite being the world's second-largest economy, China is one of the bank's largest borrowers, having taken out over $60 billion in loans over the past four decades. Some analysts say the funds could be better used elsewhere. NTD's international correspondent Arian Pasdar reports from Rio de Janeiro. The first day of the G20 summit focused mostly on global hunger and poverty. President Biden announcing the largest-ever contribution to the World Bank. I'm proud to announce the United States is pledging $4 billion over the next three years to the World Bank's International Development Association. The $4 billion pledge exceeds the last U.S. contribution made in 2021 by $500 million. The G20 held its first session on Monday morning, which included the launch of the Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty. The main topics this week are expected to be trade, climate change, and international security, such as ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East. This comes just two weeks after former President Trump's election victory. He's expected to implement policy changes in all three areas discussed at the G20. That's partly why some of the heads of state at the summit are reportedly focusing more on the transition to Trump rather than the outgoing administration. Chinese leader Xi Jinping is also in Rio this week. Practitioners of the spiritual belief Falun Gong held up banners in front of the G20 entrance on Sunday night. They gathered to raise awareness about the Chinese Communist Party's persecution of Falun Gong in China. But supporters of the Chinese Communist Party, or CCP, blocked their banners. The Brazilian Falun Gong practitioners say the CCP supporters told them to take down the banners, infringing on their freedom of speech rights. They also say the CCP supporters later followed them to the Uber and took a picture of the license plate. Now, the CCP has a history of harassing human rights activists at global events. They often send people to block banners, as they did here, for example. And in one instance, at the APEC summit in California last year, a CCP supporter even attacked one of our NTD journalists who was at the event. Reporting in Brazil, Aryan Pasdar, NTD News. China is in the hot seat over the war in Ukraine. European leaders and senior diplomats this week warned Beijing of serious consequences if it's found to be aiding Moscow in making attack drones. On Monday, top diplomats from the European Union discussed a recent update on Chinese aid to Russia. Intelligence and evidence are indicating that Russia's military is using long-range attack drones produced in China to further the war on Ukraine. The German foreign minister said that support for the war undermines Europe's core security interests. As for how the blob may respond, he suggested using the EU's incoming sanctions on Iran as a reference, if the China-Russia armed drone program is confirmed. China denied the program's existence on Monday, adding its exports to Russia have all passed strict controls. The US and European allies have called out Beijing on its export controls, which allows so-called dual-use goods to be shipped to Russia. Dual-use refers to products that have both civilian and military applications, including key know-how and electronics used to make weapons. Several Chinese companies have already been sanctioned as a result. German Chancellor Schultz said he would talk to China's Xi Jinping about those dual-use shipments on the sidelines of the G20 summit. President Vladimir Putin has updated Russia's nuclear doctrine. The move comes two days after President Biden gave Ukraine the green light to strike targets in Russia with American-made weapons. Here's more. The updated doctrine states that aggression by a non-nuclear state, supported by a nuclear country, will be treated as a joint attack on Russia. The Russian government previously signaled that US approval would be a dangerous escalation of the war in Ukraine. The Kremlin says the revised military doctrine would, in theory, lower the bar for first use of nuclear weapons. A spokesperson said Russia may use nuclear weapons if it or Belarus is attacked with conventional weapons. And North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is calling for limitless expansion of his nuclear weapons program. His comments also mark his first direct criticism of Washington since Trump's election win. Kim criticized the US for updating its nuclear deterrence strategies with South Korea, as well as solidifying a three-way military cooperation involving Japan. Kim described the alliance as an Asian NATO and said it escalates tensions and instability in the region. He also criticized the US over its support of Ukraine against a prolonged Russian invasion. Coming up, Washington reiterates support for the Philippines amid rising Chinese aggression, what the Philippine president and Trump discussed over the phone. Emotions are running high as 45 pro-democracy activists receive prison terms stretching up to 10 years in Hong Kong. Details on the case, their families' reactions and Washington's response. And independent bookstores in China say they're getting targeted by the communist regime. Many are moving their businesses abroad in order to keep books that promote free thought on their shelves. More on that after the break here on China In Focus. Welcome back to China In Focus. I'm Don Ma. And for Tiffany Meyer, Philippine president discussed its alliance with the US in a Tuesday phone call with President-elect Trump. The two talked about their desire to strengthen the deep relationship between their nations. Here's more. Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said the call was very friendly and very productive, adding he planned to see Trump as soon as he could. On the same day, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said that the US alliance with the Philippines would transcend administrations, adding that the US is committed to the defense of the Philippines under a treaty. Austin expressed concern over China's aggression in the South China Sea where Chinese Coast Guard vessels have been spraying water cannons at Filipino crews, all with the goal of keeping them away from disputed territories. Both the Philippines and China claim sovereignty over the South China Sea, though Beijing claims almost all of it. An international court ruled China's claim invalid. More than 60 percent of global maritime trade passes through the South China Sea. The US is competing for influence in the South China Sea with Beijing. President-elect Trump called Thailand's prime minister today also, saying, quote, anything I can do, you let me know. Thailand is Washington's oldest treaty ally in Asia, although it has grown closer to Beijing, becoming more dependent on Chinese-made weapons. Thailand's prime minister reiterated her country's readiness to work with the US. If Trump follows through on his pledge of 60 percent tariffs on China, Thailand could stand to benefit. Its commerce minister said Thailand should export more to the US to replace Chinese products. The US is Thailand's top export destination, followed by China. President-elect Trump said Sunday he will tap Brennan Carr as chairman of the Federal Communications Commission. He's a known critic of the Biden administration's telecom policies and big tech. And a day earlier, Trump picked oil industry CEO Chris Wright to lead the Department of Energy. Let's zoom in. President-elect Donald Trump will tap Brennan Carr as chairman of the Federal Communications Commission. In a statement on Sunday, Trump said Carr was, quote, a warrior for free speech and has fought against the regulatory lawfare that has stifled Americans' freedoms and held back our economy. Carr is currently the top Republican on the FCC, the independent agency that regulates US telecommunications. He is a strong critic of China and has been an advocate of the FCC's hardline on Chinese telecom companies like Huawei. Carr is also a critic of the Biden administration's telecom policies and big tech. Last week, he wrote to tech giants including Apple and Microsoft, saying they had taken steps to censor Americans. Carr said on Sunday the FCC must, quote, restore free speech rights for everyday Americans. Over the weekend, Trump also picked Chris Wright to lead the Department of Energy. Wright is the CEO of an oilfield services firm and a staunch defender of fossil fuel use. He is expected to support Trump's plan to maximize oil and gas production and to seek ways to boost electricity output amid a surge in energy demand for the first time in decades. He is also likely to share Trump's opposition to global cooperation on fighting climate change. Wright has called climate change activists alarmist and has likened efforts by Democrats to combat global warming to Soviet-style communism. In a video posted to social media last year, Wright said, quote, there is no climate crisis and we're not in the midst of an energy transition either. If confirmed by the Senate, Wright will replace Jennifer Granholm, a supporter of electric vehicles and renewable energy sources. Chinese companies are racing to stock up on advanced semiconductors from South Korea before Trump returns to the White House. On top of that, they're also churning out more microchips themselves. From January to October, China imported 15% more chips compared to last year's data. That's according to Ask CI Consulting. Semiconductors sit at the heart of the US-China race as the small devices form the foundation of all other advanced technology. Microchips power everything from iPhones to military weapons. The US has been limiting China's access to advanced American-made AI chips since they could help advance Beijing's military capability. Despite that, Chinese companies have been found circumventing those restrictions by using cloud services from Amazon and others. 45 ex-lawmakers and pro-democracy activists received four to 10 year prison sentences in Hong Kong Tuesday. NTD's Daniel Monaghan has more on the case and the reactions of family members. It was the biggest national security case under a communist China-imposed law that crushed a once thriving pro-democracy movement. Forty-five democracy activists were tried under the law that was imposed on Hong Kong in 2020. Prosecutors claimed the activists aimed to paralyze Hong Kong's government. Among those sentenced was former student leader Joshua Wong, who was once the face of the Hong Kong pro-democracy movement. He was sentenced to four years and eight months. Legal scholar Benny Tai received the longest sentence of 10 years. Tai was widely seen as the organizer of the unofficial primary election. Hendrick Lui was sentenced to more than four years in jail. After the sentencing, his adoptive mother Elsa Wu shouted why he had to go to jail, yelling that he is a good person. She was then taken away in a police van. Philip Bowring is the husband of defendant Claudia Mo, a Hong Kong journalist and politician. It's nearly four years actually already, so I suppose, you know, maybe it's not too much longer. Chan Po Ying's husband was sentenced to six years and nine months. But I want to emphasize one thing very clear that it is unfair trial and it's an unreasonable trial, so even one day, they don't deserve to be in the prison. Amelia Wong says her boyfriend's sentence will have a chilling effect on people. Of course, it will silence more people because you see how a primary can be illegal and lead to 10 years of sentencing, so of course it will silence more people. Two of the 47 original defendants were acquitted earlier this year. The rest either pleaded guilty to or found guilty of conspiracy to commit subversion. U.S. consulate head Roxy Hogue criticized the erosion of political freedoms and free speech in Hong Kong. The U.S. government condemns the continuous prosecution of individuals here in Hong Kong. The majority of the 45 people sentenced Tuesday had already served nearly four years The Chinese Communist Party is clamping down on what it calls harmful publications. It's driving independent bookstore owners to move their businesses to other countries in order to freely stock their shelves. NTD's Sean Marshall has more. Independent bookstores have become a new battleground in China, caught in the net of the Communist Party's crackdown on dissent and free expression. The Associated Press found that at least a dozen bookstores have been shuttered or targeted for closure in the last few months alone. But the persecuted store owners have found the freedom to continue in other countries like the United States. I said I want to live without fear because I realize that there are all kinds of uncertainties or pressures that exist. But even with this kind of pressure, I continue to convince myself that I am in a free country and I have reasons to live freely without fear. The crackdown has had a chilling effect in China's publishing industry. Bookstores are common in China, but many are state-owned. Independent bookstores are governed by an intricate set of rules with strict controls. Owners say the rules are now being more aggressively policed. Printing shops and street vendors are also facing more rigorous government inspections. Opening a bookstore here has opened a new chapter in my life. I am more focused on how to better manage the quality of this bookstore. Yu Miao isn't alone in taking his business out of the country. Chinese bookstores have popped up in Japan, France, Netherlands and elsewhere in the U.S. in recent years. It's a result of both stricter controls in China and growing Chinese communities abroad. I'm very happy to have a Chinese bookstore like this in D.C. because I can do good shopping and at the same time have some spiritual connections with some authors in China. It's not just the content of the books that's made the Chinese regime wary. In many communities, bookstores are cultural centers where critical thinking is encouraged and conversations can veer into politics and other topics not welcomed by the regime. The CCP has various powers to control which books are available. Any publication without a China standard book number is considered illegal, including self-published books and those imported without special licenses. Books can be banned even after they are published if restrictions are later tightened, often for unclear reasons or if the writers say something upsetting to the Chinese regime. Sean Marshall, NTD News. That's all for today's China In Focus. I'm Don Ma. If you have any feedback on the show or have something you would like to see us cover, send us an email at chinainfocus at ntd.com. We'd love to hear from you. For around the clock original news coverage, visit us at ntd.com or download our NTD app. Thanks for watching. See you soon.